Spec Resources
Free work or Spec (speculative) work can be defined as, "Providing design services to develop creative concept work for free (or for a nominal fee) as part of a new business pitch."
The RGD Code of Ethics prevents RGD Members from doing work on spec.
Below are resources explaining why doing work on spec is detrimental to professional designers AND their clients.
- No Spec Presentation at Style Frames NY by Lionel Gadoury RGD
- What is Spec Work? informational video by Topic Simple
- The NO! SPEC Campaign by NO!SPEC
- Position on Spec Work by AIGA
- Working on Spec: Speculative Work for Free by All Graphic Design
- Why We Don't Make Speculative Presentations by Creative Business
- When a "Contest" is Not a Contest by Jeff Fisher
- Don't Design on Spec by Jeffrey Zeldman
- Spec Work Arithmetic by Gunnar Swanson
- Should Clients Cough up for Pitches? by Gillian Jones
- Giving It All Away by David Robertson FDIA
- Spec Can Be Beaten by Blair Enns
- Time for Us All to Ditch Spec Creative Pitches by Zak Mroueh
- BuzzFeed article: A Lot Of People Are Feeling This Angry Email From A Designer Who Claims He Was Asked To “Work For Free”
For information on RGD's recent anti-spec successes, and other advocacy efforts, click here.
To inform us of a case of spec work or for further information please contact:
Hilary Ashworth, Executive Director
E-mail:
Phone: 1.888.274.3668 x 0023